I was watching the Chiefs play the Crows…ahh…Ravens and the Chiefs under-performing QB was injured on a play. The fans cheered. I mentioned to the missus that it was a low class move to cheer when a guy is hurt; its bad enough when it is an opposing player but it is just wrong when it is your own guy. Matt Cassel is not a good starting QB, but he is one tough SOB. He rushed back from appendix surgery to play. Then n came the press conference. The Chiefs starting right tackle, Eric Winston, ripped into the fans. He made allusions to being embarrassed by them (Which is a backhanded way of saying he is embarrassed by being a Chief) and that it was disgusting. He is right, however he did not stop there. He continued to say that they are not gladiators and that they will live shorter lives because of there chosen profession. He said he was not asking for sympathy but pointed out that we should not cheer when guys get hurt as it represents the shortening of their lives.
OK, If he wasn’t asking for sympathy there is no reason to bring it up. I was supporting him until that moment. How many fans won’t live to see there 60th birthday because of their chosen profession? KC PD officers get to retire after 15 years do to the hazardous and stressful conditions they work under. In those 15 yeasr they will be lucky to get near the amount of money you earned in one year Mr. Winston. You sir get $900,000 dollars for this year; if an officer averages $54,000 and if they worked for 15 years it would be around $810,000. Of course you got that $2,000,000 signing bonus for this year. In 5 years you will earn $22 million. Is your life more valuable that a longshoreman? A coal miner? How many Pennsylvania coal miners root for the Steelers every weekend? How many guys working in the steel mills root for the Steelers?
How abut those factory workers in Kansas City who will live shorter lives due to the conditions they work?
Mr. Winston you have a skill that is marketable that will give you millions of dollars. You work in a relatively safe profession. How many pro football players died in the last 15 years on the job? I can only think of one. How many soldiers have died in the same time-frame? Police? Firefighters? Fisherman? Miners? Construction workers?
So, when a truck driver who spends thousands of dollars each year in season tickets, parking, concessions and merchandising just to have something to cheer for in an otherwise mundane existence cheers when a millionaire is hurt and the back-up gives him a ray of hope then I say let him. He doesn’t need to be preached at by some self righteous RT who hasn’t lived up to his contract and is part of the reason the fans are as frustrated as they are. Its Just Sickening to have to listen to you tell us what we have the right to do when it costs us so much.
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